


As Our Paths Cross

by whatinthehelliot



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Angst, Beacon Hills High School, Bullying, Eventual Romance, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Slow Build, will mimi ever finish this? no one knows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-17
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-04 23:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatinthehelliot/pseuds/whatinthehelliot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles Stilinski is new to Beacon Hills High, but he didn't expect that they'd be so unwelcoming. Derek Hale is a student shrouded in mystery, whom everyone refers to as the 'Silent Prince'. How do their paths cross? </p>
<p>Rating and title subject to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beacon Hills High Sucks

**Author's Note:**

> I've already got some chapters up my sleeve, so I'll update in a week or so. Please excuse any inaccuracies in this story, because I've never gone to any American high schools or public high schools in general. Also, I changed all of the teachers except for Bobby Finstock.
> 
> [EDIT]: I'll update it after Christmas.

Beacon Hills High, a school with less than 200 students, known for its friendly students and staff. That was definitely a lie. Kids shoving Stiles into a wall, tripping him, and excluding him clearly spelled 'friendly'. He wouldn't forget to mention how unsociable and rude the staff were.

Stiles sighed, walking around with his schedule in hand, attempting to locate his first class. "English, English, English... Ah, here it is!" he rambled to himself. Advancing towards the class, he bumped into the shoulder of another student. He craned his neck to apologise and noticed a boy wearing a leather jacket.

As he entered the class, they all went silent and looked at him blankly before turning away to chatter with their friends. Stiles rolled his eyes and plopped down onto an empty seat. Once the bell had rung, an older male walked in. Stiles' eyes followed him as he got to his desk and started taking attendance. He waited impatiently, wanting to get it over and done with.

"I'm Mr. Smith and I will be your teacher for this year." Groans were heard from most of the students. "Today we have a new student. His name is..." the man hesitated and looked confused. "How do you say that?" he asked to no one in particular. Stiles cut in before Mr. Smith could continue. "It's Stiles, Stiles Stilinski." The teacher nodded at him. "Well then, please welcome Stiles Stilinski. Stiles, stand up please." Stiles sighed again as he stood up and sat back down. He felt the eyes of his classmates on him, seeming to sneer at him.

After class, Stiles returned to his locker and got out the books his needed for his next class, which was dreaded Math. He closed his locker and noticed the boy he bumped into earlier. With a raised eyebrow, he attempted to talk to him, but the boy saw what he was trying to do and frowned at him before walking off. Stiles turned around and was about to leave when he heard a group of girls chattering loudly about something.

"Oh my god, look at him! He's so hot." A girl commented. "The Silent Prince is so handsome." another added dreamily. "He's smart _and_ attractive. I want to have his babies." a slightly crazier one said. The others looked at her like she had two heads. Stiles was damn curious now. He wondered if he shared any classes with him.

Stiles headed to Math and the process repeated. Their math teacher was Mrs. Everett. While he didn't find the 'Silent Prince' there, he did notice a strawberry blonde haired girl who solved all the problems easily. Smart _and_ attractive. Where had he heard that phrase before? With an inward shrug, he quickly forgot about the question and tried to focus on math class.

Classes passed quickly, but he met Isaac Lahey and Allison Argent, who were a couple and disgustingly cute. There was also Scott McCall, who he'd gotten along with pretty well. He was at his final class, History. Their teacher was Miss Dunsky, whom all the boys hit on because she was single. Stiles sat down and surveyed the classroom before noticing a familiar jacket. There he was, the 'Silent Prince', in all his grouchy glory.

Now that he could observe him, he noticed his short black hair and piercing blue-green eyes. He could understand why the girls thought so much of him. Even Stiles would want to bear his children. Stiles looked a little longer until the 'Silent Prince' looked back. Embarrassed, Stiles jerked his head back to their teacher, though he could still feel his eyes on him.

Class ended and the students flooded out of the room, moving so fast that they became blurs of colour to Stiles' eyes. He had just finished putting away his books and closing his locker as he was face to face with a taller, frowning male. Stiles gulped, feeling slightly intimidated by his stare. "U-Uhm, can I help you?" Stiles asked nervously. The 'Silent Prince' seemed to answer with an even more annoyed expression. He stared a little longer before he walked off. Stiles now furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered what just happened.

He headed home, unlocked the door, and let himself inside. His bag hung limply on his shoulder, full of homework and things new kids needed for school. The reason why he had so much homework on his first day was unknown to him. Stiles took the steps two at a time as he went upstairs. He dumped his bag onto his unmade bed and sat down at his desk, turning his laptop on. Plugged into the charger, it was ready to go. He checked his Facebook and noticed a friend request notification. Curious, he clicked on it and noticed it was from Scott McCall. He grinned like an idiot before clicking 'accept friend request'.

After an hour or two of chatting with Scott over Facebook and searching the web in general, he closed the laptop and went downstairs. In the fridge he found pasta, pesto sauce, parmesan, and pine nuts, among other things. Using the ingredients he found, he cooked the pasta, lightly roasted the pine nuts, mixed the pesto sauce into the pasta and sprinkled Parmesan on top once he'd deposited his creation into a bowl. He'd made two portions, so he put one bowl into the fridge in left a note, 'Made pasta. Reheat it when you're hungry. - Stiles'. He ate his own portion, did his homework - which was really too much for the first day - and went to sleep, even though he didn't get much.


	2. Bruised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, this took longer than I had hoped for me to upload.  
> Curse you procrastination! [shakes fist]

Stiles groaned as his alarm clock beeped irritatingly loud. How did anyone ever want to get up for school? Grumbling, he yawned as he got up and took a shower. The shower was soon over, short and efficient, even though he would have preferred longer. Stiles stumbled down the stairs and had toast for breakfast. Popping into his father's room, he noticed he was still asleep. With a smile, he exited the room quietly and rushed off to school.

"How did they even _have_ so much homework on the first day?" Stiles muttered to himself in disbelief. Not watching where he was going - as usual - he bumped into another student. Instantly, his instinct was to apologize. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I have this problem where I run into people because I don't realize where I've been going because I space off and-" A deep, husky voice cut in. "Shut up." Stiles was pissed off and was just about to give him a piece of his mind, when he noticed who he was speaking to. 

"Huh? Oh, it's you. Hi again!" Stiles greeted strangely. The 'Silent Prince' just stared him down and walked away. "Okay, wow, that was rude." Stiles huffed with a frown. "Seriously, who does he think he is, acting all high and mighty-" He was cut off. "Oh my god, it's the Silent Prince!" Stiles sighed as he heard those words come from an excited fangirl. "Oh yeah, that's right, he's the freaking 'Prince' around here. Ugh." he growled softly.

The day drags on uneventfully. He sits with Isaac, Allison, and Scott for lunch. The girl from his math class joins them and introduces herself as Lydia Martin. Soon enough, lunch is over, and Stiles heads to History. He's stopped by a blond asshole who surrounds him with the rest of his gang. Stiles can't believe it. "How cute, ganging up on me." It's the only snarky comment he can manage before his body hits a wall painfully.

"So you're the new kid, hey? Think you can just walk in here like you own the place?" the blond snaps. Stiles is about to comment when he gets punched in the stomach. He can feel tears pooling in the corner of his eyes, so he blinks them back. Showing weakness would only encourage them. "Fucking faggot. I'm Jackson and I own this school." the blond named Jackson stated, his face ridden with anger.

"Yeah, and I'm Stiles, the new kid who's getting attacked for no reason." God, he hated his big mouth. Great job Stiles, now you're _definitely_ screwed. Jackson grits his teeth and kicks his legs, causing Stiles to collapse in a messy arrangement of limbs. "Get him, boys." Jackson orders. Two tall, bulky boys start punching and kicking him in whatever place they can find. That's definitely going to leave bruises.

He spots the Prince from the corner of his eyes. The Prince notices Stiles' pleading gaze, but just walks away. Stiles' eyes widen as he leaves. Why won't he help him? Then, two more boys join in, and Stiles is clenching his jaw in pain. After a while, he hears Jackson say, "Okay boys, that's enough. Let's leave the faggot alone or we'll be late for class." The hits immediately come to a halt and he hears them shuffling away. 

Trying to breathe, - he was sure he had a fractured rib or two - he curled in on himself and groaned. There's another shuffling of feet hears before he's picked up off the ground by an unknown figure, his arm swung around their shoulder. He closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he's in a bed. Stiles looked around confusedly. He noticed a boy with curly brown hair sitting on the chair beside his bed - it was Isaac. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he stretches before crying out in pain. Isaac is there, holding him steady and making sure he's okay.

"So, where am I and what happened?" Stiles asked. Isaac seemed to consider his question for a moment before replying, "You got beat up pretty badly by Jackson and his crew. I found you and took you to the nurse's office. You fainted soon after I picked you up." Stiles worried his lip between his teeth as he stared into the distance. "You have a fractured rib and lots of bruises." a nurse explained as she walked up to the bed.

"You'll need to have these painkillers once every few hours for a few days before you'll be okay. It's perfectly fine if you take some time off school to recover. I rang your father and-" Stiles cut in quickly as she handed him painkillers. "You rang my father?" The nurse looked worried. "Of course I rang your father." He started to panic. "No no no, you can't do that. Now he's gonna ask questions!" Stiles explained with wide eyes. His breath seemed to catch in his throat for a second as he noticed Isaac and the nurse staring at him strangely.

"I'm going to go home." Stiles said, getting up slowly as to not cause himself more pain. He picked up his bag, which was next to the bed - Isaac must have brought it here for him. He noticed Isaac advancing towards him so he could help, but Stiles waved him off and limped out of the room. Jackson smirked at him as he passed by him in the hallway. Stiles wanted to say something, but he knew he shouldn't. "Hey, fag!" Great. "Where'd you get the injuries from? Did your boyfriend beat you?" He heard Jackson snicker. All eyes were on him and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

As soon as he got home, he gingerly took his bag off his shoulder. His dad wouldn't be home until 8, so he could just hide in his room until then. Sighing, he went up to his room, taking the steps on at a time and holding onto the railing with two hands. He dropped down onto his chair and turned on his laptop. Stiles got on Facebook and talked to Scott, who thankfully had not heard about his 'incident'. Scott seemed to be a bit gullible, so tomorrow he'd probably tell him he fell down the stairs.

Before he knew it, it was 8. He heard his father come in and flinched. How was he going to weasel his way out of this one? "Stiles?" his father called out. He considered jumping out of his window and running away, but shook his head at the insanity of it and went downstairs. "Hi." Stiles mumbled as he felt his father's eyes scanning him up and down. "Mind telling me what the hell happened today? I got a call from the nurse telling me that you'd been bullied." Stiles groaned. 

"It's nothing dad, she just made it sound worse than it actually is." His dad wasn't believing it for a second. "So it's not that bad? A fractured ribs and bruises all over your body is 'not that bad'? Son, just tell me what's going on." His dad said, his eyes conveying sorrow as he stared right through Stiles. He gulped. "It's nothing, Dad, really. I'm fine." His eyes narrowed at Stiles. "Son, just tell me-" 

"Dad, really, it's fine!" Stiles exclaimed, panic rising in his chest. "STILES!" his dad yelled, frowning. Stiles shuddered and shook. Mr. Stilinski noticed and took a step back. "I'm sorry, Stiles. Just... Tell me next time. Don't lie to me." His father said, apologizing as he ran a hand over his face. "I've just been so..." Stiles nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know. It's been hard since we lost Mum." They both sighed and Stiles made dinner.


	3. One Week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a sort-of-late update! :D  
> I have 8 full chapters as of now, and I've started chapter 9. I'll try to update more regularly.  
> Let's say... Every week or two? Yeah. I'll try to keep to that.

To say the day had been a living hell would be an understatement. He still remembers everyone avoiding him like the plague and giggling at him. It just got louder and louder. Stiles needed to get out, so he did. He retreated to the roof and breathed in the air. How could this day get any worse? Not that he wanted to know, not really. A second of silence was all he needed, then he could gather his wits and it would all be fine. He'd be fine.

About to descend down the stairs, he stopped dead in his tracks. There he was, that asshole Prince who ignored him and let him be hurt. Stiles was really going to give him a piece of his mind. He'd prepared a speech and all. Well, kind of. "Dude, what the hell?" So it began. He got a growl in response. "Seriously, you've ignored me, and then you think it's fine to just let me get attacked? Huh? You think it's funny? It's not a joke, you asshole. If you had just helped me out, I wouldn't be dealing with a fractured rib and bruises covering my body."

That seemed to catch his attention. The Prince looked concerned for a moment before he turned away. "Oh, so now you're going to turn away? I bet you don't even feel bad. Do you even think about anyone else besides yourself?" That hit something. "Seriously, I'm a clumsy mess with the worst defensive skills in history. I'm basically the perfect target. Are you working with them? Do you like beating up kids for no reason other than mindless anger? Seriously, you're a dick." He heard him sigh, purposefully loudly as he walked away. 

"Oh no you don't, you're not walking away again. That's not fair." Stiles felt tears threaten to fall as he approached the Silent Prince. "It's not fair at all. I come here, be the new kid, hoping for something better than the last shit-hole, and this is what I get. Friends that already have their own circle, bullies that hurt me for no reason, and a Silent Prince who ignores me." Stiles babbled, tears stinging his eyes.

"Derek." the Prince replied. "What?" Stiles was confused. "My name." Stiles frowned as he approached the door to leave. He quickly grabbed the edge of Derek's leather jacket. "Stop." Derek turned to him. "Don't leave." Stiles pleaded, feeling the tears start to drip down his cheeks. "I hate this school. Everyone's rude and seem to avoid me even though I haven't done anything wrong. My dad keeps asking what happened, but I can't bring myself to tell him. I lied to Scott because he's gullible. Everyone is laughing at me. I can't stand it." Stiles buried his head into Derek's chest and cried.

Weirdly enough, Derek stayed there, silent and unmoving. He did nothing, just listened. Stiles was glad for that. A long time passed before Stiles backed away, wiping his tears on his plaid shirt. "Sorry." he said. Derek was quiet, and left a few minutes after. Stiles stayed up on the roof a while longer, letting the wind dry his tears. He went down the stairs and went to Math. Once sat down, he noticed Lydia was there, as usual. He waved to her and she just answered with a small smile, as usual.

The day passed, classes had finished and it was time to head home. At least, Stiles thought it was, until he heard his name being announced through the speakers. "Stiles Stilinski, please report to the office. I repeat, Stiles Stilinski, report to the office." What had he done this time? He trotted off to the office and opened the door. "You called?" he asked the principal, Mrs. Peters.

It was then that he noticed a familiar face. There he was, seated in one of the two seats in front of the principal, Derek. He wondered what could have happened that got them both in trouble. "Have a seat, Stiles." Mrs. Peters said, gesturing to the empty seat. Stiles nodded and sat down, feeling like squirming in his chair. The principal noticed and smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry, neither of you are in any kind of trouble." Both Derek and Stiles were confused. 

"By the way, how did you get those bruises?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Stiles was anxious for a moment before he replied, "Oh, I fell down the stairs. Yeah, I'm rather clumsy." Derek snapped his head towards him, staring at him in question. "Stiles, I'm not silly." she stated, giving him a stern look. Stiles swallowed and looked down at his hands as he fidgeted with them. "I said something stupid and picked a fight." he answered quietly. Derek frowned at him but sighed and turned back to the principal.

"Well then, don't do that again. I will not tolerate violence within my school." she warned. Derek spoke up, finally. "Why did you call us here?" The principal looked lost for a moment before she remembered. "Ah, yes. I know that Stiles is new here, and you've been here since the start of high school." she explained, Derek and Stiles giving her matching looks of puzzlement. "Anyway, I'd like you to show Stiles the ropes, Derek."

"What? Why?" Derek questioned immediately. She gave him a look and said, "He probably doesn't have anyone to hang around with, seeing as he's new. He might feel more comfortable if he was with another student for a week." Stiles noticed as Derek frowned and made a grumbling sound. "Yes, Derek, a _week._ " Mrs. Peters answered, rolling her eyes. "That's it. You're dismissed. See you on Monday, boys." Just like that, they were walked out of the office and into the empty hallway.

"A week is too long." Derek said. Such a man of words. "What, can't put up with little old me for a _week?_ " Derek looked at him seriously. "No." Well, that was rude. Stiles voiced those exact words. Derek just frowned and stalked off. It was Stiles' turn to roll his eyes. "Not sure I can put up with _you,_ either." That was how their unlikely friendship began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to anyone who has read this story so far, I hope for your continued support. `v`  
> Comments are always appreciated, and I'll reply to each one. <3  
> ...I tried to give them all titles. The thing to remember here is that I tried.


	4. Let's Hang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uploaded this earlier than planned because I'm going away for a week. Enjoy, and see you guys in a week! 8D

"Gym, art studio, pool. That's all." Derek explained, pointing to the said places as they walked past. "You like to talk a lot, don't you?" Stiles said, raising his eyebrow. "At least I don't ramble." Stiles stuck his tongue out and laughed. Derek stomped off ahead and Stiles had to jog to catch up. "Whoa there, mister. You're supposed to be my guide for the week. Mrs. Peters told us earlier today that your classes would temporarily be on my schedule. You have to take me _everywhere._ " Stiles chuckled at Derek's pained expression.

Seriously, he looked like someone was constantly stabbing him every second he spent with Stiles. It was hilarious. He knew that deep down Derek didn't hate him, though. He'd seen him smile a few times, if only very briefly. Stiles wasn't really sure whether he appreciated or hated Derek's company. Their 'friendship' - or as Derek liked to call it, 'forced-to-talk-to-you-ship' - was very bittersweet. "Great. Math, one of my least favourite classes." Stiles groaned as they headed to class.

"Why's that?" Derek asked. "Because it's _so_ freaking confusing. I don't understand their stupid formulas and their stupid complex equations." Stiles whined as Derek rolled his eyes. "I could help." Derek said quietly. "Wait, seriously? Why?" Stiles asked, in disbelief that Derek was doing something nice of his own accord. "We're stuck together for this week anyway, so I might as well." Derek replied with a quick shrug of his shoulders. 

"Derek Hale, being nice. Perhaps the world will come to an end today as well." Stiles said, chuckling as he heard Derek growl beside him. He'd learned Derek's last name earlier. They had come to school early because of their principal, and it was a very quick talk; they'd needed to do something to pass the time, so conversation was the only option easy enough. It was very hard to get Derek to say anything, though. He hardly spoke and kept a lot to himself.

They entered the classroom together, and he felt everyone's stares on him. Actually, more specifically, him and Derek. Stiles laughed awkwardly to break the silence and sat down. Derek was seated next to him, and after a few minutes of uncomfortable staring and whispering, Mrs. Everett entered the room and class started. He had a note passed to him halfway through the lesson, so he opened it and was slightly scared by it's contents. _'Why are you cuddling up to the Silent Prince? Don't get any closer to him or we'll hurt you. - The Silent Prince's Fan Club President'._

Derek noticed him shaking slightly, so he turned to him and noticed him staring down at a note. He snatched it from Stiles' trembling hands before he could protest. After reading it, he scoffed at it and crumpled it up. Stiles gulped and surveyed the room until he spotted a corner with three girls glaring daggers at him. With wide eyes, he turned back to the front of the class and tried to calm himself. Derek exhaled and put a comforting hand on Stiles' shoulder, giving it a few pats before retracting it.

Class finished and he went to his locker with Derek - who had always had his locker next to Stiles, since the start of school - gasping as he saw a note taped to it that said, _'We'll hurt you'._ Stiles already knew who it was from, and he swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling the dread fill up in his chest. Breathing in deeply, he tries to get a hold of himself. Derek growls loudly and rips the note off his locker, crushing it into a ball and throwing it in the bin.

"Seriously, they need to lay off." Derek stated, frowning and clenching his jaw. Was Derek actually angry for Stiles' sake? "Are you sure the world isn't ending today?" Stiles asked, putting his hand on his chin and stroking it thoughtfully. Derek sighed. "No, Stiles, the world isn't ending. _God,_ is it too much for me to care a little bit for your well-being? These could be serious threats, and you could be in danger." Stiles blinked at him and stared blankly. "It's not that, I'm just surprised that you care." he said with a giggle.

"You make me sound like I'm heartless." Derek replied, rolling his eyes. "You're trying to say you're not?" Stiles asked, a shit-eating grin on his face. Derek smiled back at him. It was a very small smile, barely noticeable, but it was there. "Yes, I made you smile! I can cross that off my bucket list." Derek's smile quickly turned to his neutral expression, which was a frown. " _Really_ , Stiles?" Derek asked, unimpressed. "Really!"

They head to Science and their teacher Mr. Stone is already there. "Hello class, take your seat and hurry up. I haven't got all day." There it was. Mr. Stone's infamous impatience. Stiles managed to get through the class without breaking or blowing anything up. He'd cross that off his bucket list as well. He hoped no one ever asked why that was on there. "Stiles, the blue liquid, not the green." Derek snapped, glaring at him. "They kind of look the same to me." Stiles said with a shrug. "Great, you're an idiot _and_ colour-blind." Stiles grinned as Derek snatched up the blue liquid and poured it in.

Stiles laughed at Derek. "Why are you laughing?" Derek asked, confused. "B-Because you ha-have ash on your n-nose!" Stiles replied, barely able to get the words out through his laughter. "At least I don't have leftovers of red liquid all over my cheeks." Derek retorted, smirking. "Well, whatever! Get the ash off your nose." Derek rolled his eyes. "Well, you get the red off your cheeks!"

"Fine!" Stiles agreed, trying to get the red off his cheeks. Derek was doing the same with the ash on his nose, but he was nowhere near it. "No, no. Derek, it's there." Stiles said, pointing to the bridge of his own nose. "Here?" Derek answered, wiping at his nose. "No, further up! Look, here." Stiles sighed as he leaned closer and took the ash off Derek's nose. "I think I got all of it." Derek was silent. "What is it?" Stiles asked, puzzled until he realized how close their faces were.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I mean, I act before I think and then bad stuff happens and-" Derek frowned. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You're an idiot. Apology accepted." Stiles coughed awkwardly as they walked to Art. As it turns out, Derek _really_ likes drawing trees. Stiles is more one for drawing supernatural beings, like werewolves and lizard men. Derek arches a brow at Stiles' work. "What is that?" Derek asks, pointing to the lizard man. "It's half lizard, half man! I call it, _lizard man._ " The broody teenager scoffs at him. "Creative name."

Before they know it, school's out and they're getting their bags and leaving. "Where do you live?" Derek suddenly asks. Stiles frowns. "That didn't sound creepy, not at all." Derek groans. "I meant that I could walk you if you aren't too far." Stiles looks surprised. "Really? Why?" Derek breathes out through his nose. "I have an extra hour or two up my sleeve." Stiles blinks a few times before blurting out, "Then let's hang." Derek frowns.

"No, uh, I meant... Like, if you want to. We could go to my house or somewhere else. If you want?" Stiles blabbed, not able to stop his quickly running mouth. Derek is silent, so Stiles guesses that means he doesn't want to. "Sorry, yeah, of course you don't want to. I just thought that if you had extra time it might be fun with someone else, and-" Derek interrupted him loudly. "I'll go." Stiles was about to go on about something else when the words started processing in his brain. "You don't have to- Wait, what?" Stiles asked, looking at Derek like he'd gone insane.

"I said, I'll go. It's going to rain soon though, so we can hang at your place." Derek said nonchalantly. Stiles stared at him with his mouth hanging open. "Careful, if you leave it for too long, it will stay like that." Derek chuckled, putting his bag over his shoulder and his hand in the pocket of his leather jacket he never seemed to go _anywhere_ without. Stiles closed his mouth and swung his bag over his shoulder as well, following Derek out of the school until he stopped.

"Hm?" Stiles asked, looking up at Derek. "Lead the way." Stiles froze for a moment before walking ahead of Derek and taking a left turn. Derek followed closely behind. "So, why do you have time to spare, anyway? Won't your parents be worried?" he asked. Derek stopped. Stiles noticed this, so he stopped as well and turned to Derek. "What? Did I say something wrong?" Stiles questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"They're gone." Stiles' eyes widened, but he chuckled awkwardly. "Gone? On a holiday?" he asked hopefully. Derek shook his head and Stiles felt his heart sink. "They're not..." Stiles started. "They are." Derek said as he swallowed, clenching his jaw. "Oh, Derek. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I only have one parent." replied the shorter boy with a sad smile. "Why would that make me feel any better?" Derek asked, bewildered. "I don't know."

Stiles' house was only a few blocks away, so they'd arrived soon enough. "Well then, welcome to my home." Stiles said as he twisted the key in the lock and swung it open, stepping aside for Derek. He looked around a little, observing his surroundings before turning to Stiles and giving him a brief smile. "It's lovely." he commented, and Stiles nodded as he went rummaging through the cupboards and fridge. 

"Hungry for anything?" Derek considered it for a moment, before asking, "Well, what is there?" Stiles hummed as he got out a packet of chips, two cans of Sprite and chocolate chip cookies. "Good with this?" he asked with a grin. "Yeah, sure, sounds great." Derek replied. "Hey, speaking of which, what's your favourite food?" Stiles asked. "Macaroni cheese, I guess?" Stiles looked overjoyed. "Ooh, me too! When you-" Stiles paused, a rare thing for him. _"If_ you ever come over again, I'll make some for us."

Derek was genuinely surprised. "You can cook?" Stiles smirked. "Yeah, and I'm damn good." Derek rolled his eyes at how proud Stiles was. "I think I'll have to be the judge of that." Stiles looked excited. "Does that mean you'll come over again?" he asked, looking like an overjoyed puppy. Derek chuckled. "Sure." They took the food and drink up to Stiles' room, which was as messy as Derek had imagined. "Do you _ever_ clean in here?" Derek asked rhetorically. Of course, Stiles answered everything, even rhetorical questions. "Nope."

They ended up side by side on Stiles' single bed, laptop between them as they watched a movie. Stiles commented the whole time. It was kind of annoying, but hilarious at the same time, so Derek didn't tell him off. "Oh my freaking god, she's right there! Ugh, you know you're in love with her, you little shit. Derek, why won't he go get the girl?" Stiles complained, somewhere halfway into the movie. "I didn't write the script, I don't know why." Stiles groaned. 

"Oh my god, stop wallowing in self-pity, she doesn't care about that! This freaking guy, I'm going to strangle him if he goes on about how he'll 'hurt people or be hurt if he's around them' one more time." Derek was kind of surprised with how he could actually relate to it. "He probably constantly thinks that because of past experiences." Derek stated, looking at the movie with a serious expression. Stiles craned his neck to glance at Derek and was about to say something when he noticed Derek's expression.

"Wait, are you one of those guys? _Seriously?"_ Derek snapped his head to Stiles' face. "And if I was?" Derek questioned. "I'd tell you that you're doing fine right now, so don't worry about it." Stiles replied with a grin. Derek stopped to think about it. That was true. So far, he had neither hurt nor been hurt by Stiles. "That's why you shouldn't wallow in self-pity." Stiles stated with a smaller upturn of his lips. Derek looked at Stiles a while longer before turning back to watch the rest of the movie.

Two hours passed quickly, and Derek wasn't aware it had gotten so late until Stiles mentioned about his dad not being home until 12. "Shit, it's that late already? I have to leave and get ready for work." Derek said, rushing to get his bag and leave. "How far are you from your house?" Stiles yelled from upstairs. "Actually, from here, only a block!" Derek yelled back. Stiles came down the stairs and they exchanged glances before waving at each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to anyone who has read this story so far, I hope for your continued support. `v`  
> Comments are always appreciated, and I'll reply to each one. <3


	5. Lily Rosedale and Macaroni Cheese

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I understand that "Lily Rosedale and Macaroni Cheese" is a weird title, but just go with it.
> 
> Uh, well, I said I'd update it when I got back from my holiday, but I kind of didn't. Oops.  
> Apologies for taking so long to update this!  
> I'm writing chapter 10 right now, so I won't be out of material to post anytime soon xD

"Yo, Derek!" Stiles calls out. Derek whips his head around and the edge of his lips twitch upwards in some attempt of a smile. As Stiles approaches, he pats Derek on the back and opens his locker. Derek grabs his books out for English and they head off together. The way Derek's fan club glares daggers at Stiles does not go unnoticed. He glares back at them, hoping they'll back off. It seems that Stiles noticed it as well, if the way he walks stiffly and crosses his arms says anything.

"I'll be assigning partners for everyone, so please come grab a number." Mr. Smith explains, gesturing towards the little bucket full of pieces of folded paper. Stiles went up in line with Scott, smiling as soon as he saw him. By the time Stiles gets his number, both Derek and Scott are sitting down with their papers opened up. Stiles sits down and flashes a quick smile to Derek, who returns it awkwardly. Stiles takes a deep breath before opening it and revealing the number 12. Please be someone nice, please be someone nice, please be someone nice...

Mr. Smith speaks up, "Whoever has the same number as you is your partner." He lists the numbers in order, the two with the number called standing up and gathering together. Finally, they're up to number 12. "Number 12, please stand up and find your partner." Stiles stands up hesitantly and looks around the room before noticing a girl with long, bleach blonde hair standing up. She gives Stiles a smile that he thinks might be flirty. She walks over to him, and Stiles notices her green eyes, nicely tanned skin and sultry makeup choice.

"Hey. Lily Rosedale. You're Stiles, right?" she asks, flashing another grin. "Yep, that's me." he replies, feeling uneasy when she's staring so intently at him. "Let's get started, then." Lily says, moving their desks together and awaiting the teacher's instructions. "You'll be writing an essay on a subject of your choosing so that I can test your grammar and English skills. Begin." That's exactly what she does, speaking in a low tone and giving ideas. "Uh, sure, I guess. An essay about how books are made might be interesting."

"Hey." he hears Derek say. Stiles turns around and finds himself face-to-face with Derek. He swallows. Stiles is so close that he can understand why Derek's eyes are so piercing. They're so bright, full of blue and staring right through him. He's reminded of Lily and so he takes a step back. "So... Did you get stuck with an asshole, or were you lucky?" Derek asked. Stiles smiled and answered, "Yeah, she seems okay." Derek tilts his head to the side at that. "You seemed kind of nervous around her."

"Dude, she kept giving me these looks and speaking in this low tone. I wasn't sure what to think." Derek frowns, but shrugs it off and they head to Math. Stiles is complaining - yet again - and it's starting to piss Derek off. "Seriously, if you don't stop, I will barge into your house and tutor you. Would that make you stop?" Derek asks, not really thinking about his words. Stiles' face lights up. "Really? You remembered?" Derek frowns, but gives off a confused aura. Stiles has kind of learned by now all of the emotions Derek conveys through frowning. It's amusing, really.

"Of course I remembered. Wait, you seriously want me to tutor you?" Derek questions, raising a brow. "Only if you want to, but yeah." Stiles says, putting a hand to the back of his neck anxiously. Derek snorts and ruffles Stiles' short brown hair, watching as his chocolate brown eyes look away in embarrassment. "God, I'm not a kid. Don't ruffle my hair." Stiles orders with a pout, making his lips push out and look so kissable that if he just leaned forward he could-

"Derek, you okay?" Stiles asks, looking at him puzzledly. Derek clears his throat and answers, "Sorry, I was thinking about something." Stiles squinted his eyes. "What were you thinking about?" says Stiles casually. "Just... Stuff." Stiles raises his eyebrows. "Stuff?" Stiles asks, gesturing for him to continue, but Derek just rolls his eyes and thunders forward, leaving Stiles to catch up. "Dereeek, wait." he whines childishly. There's a smirk on Derek's face as he hears Stiles desperately trying to join him.

"So, are you coming?" he asks during lunch break. Derek frowns. "To my house? Tutoring? Ringing any bells?" Derek sighs. "Is there anything in it for me?" he questions jokingly. Stiles grins. "You get to hang with me? I'll make you macaroni cheese if you stay for dinner?" Derek returns the grin. "Sounds good. After school?" Stiles nods as he stuffs curly fries into his mouth. "You eat like a pig." he comments. Stiles just smiles, mouth full of curly fries.

"Let us go, to a land of magical wonders!" Stiles declares, almost prancing out of the school. Derek sighs and follows after him. When they arrive, Stiles throws his bag on the couch and hops over to the TV. "How do you feel about techno music?" he asks, looking over his shoulder, where Derek is putting his bag down next to his. "I feel pretty good about it." Derek replies, chuckling quietly as he hears techno music start to play over the speakers.

"Step one of having fun: you need badass music." Stiles giggles, going to the fridge and getting out a packet of chips. "Step two: you need awesome food." Derek scoffs. "I'm starting to think that you have endless supplies of chips." Stiles smirks and replies, "Nah, I just replace them whenever they've been eaten." Derek sits down on the couch in front of the TV and Stiles soon joins him, seeming to snuggle up next to him - though that could just be Derek's imagination.

"And what is step three?" he questions mockingly. "Step three is to talk about anything and everything, of course! That's what hanging out is made for, man." Soon enough, they're talking about everything, all the way from their favourite colours - Derek's being black, Stiles' being red - to their buried parents. Stiles' expression turns grim as Derek tells him about the fire and how he and his uncle Peter are the only two left. In turn, he tells him everything about his mother and her terminal illness. When all's said and done, Stiles starts making the macaroni cheese and Derek joins him.

"You're actually a really good cook." Derek compliments, watching a rerun of a Batman cartoon as he digs into his macaroni cheese. Stiles has a proud smirk, as if he already knew that. "I learned from my mum." Derek nods and they continue watching it until the macaroni cheese is gone. Stiles offers to take the bowls to the sink, but Derek tells him not to bother and takes them over himself. He hears Stiles giggling about something and he shakes his head. What have I gotten myself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to anyone who has read this story so far, I hope for your continued support. `v`  
> Comments are always appreciated, and I'll reply to each one. <3


	6. Time for Math

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, that took longer to update than planned. It wasn't like I didn't have the story written or anything, I just have had a lot of things happen. Sorry about that! I'll try to update more frequently, but it will probably be once a month. Like I said, a lot going on. Sorry again, guys ^-^"

"You've had your fun, it's time for math." Derek states, glaring at Stiles as he tries to wriggle his way out of it. In the end, he gives up. That's how they find themselves in Stiles' room, Derek clearing some junk off Stiles' desk so they can work. "Seriously, what even is all this?" he asks, not actually curious, just unable to believe how much shit is all over his desk. "Just stuff." Stiles answers with a shrug. "Stuff?" Derek parrots. "Stuff."

They're 15 minutes into their 'lesson' and Stiles is already moaning about how his head hurts and how he'd rather be beat up by Jackson for two hours. That earns him a warning glare from Derek, who grumbles under his breath. "Don't joke about it." he hissed. Stiles rolled his eyes and looked back down at the problem he was trying to decipher. Derek closed his eyes and dismissed the thought of Stiles being attacked again.

Stiles had fallen asleep at his desk and Derek in the chair next to him. Figures. He did smile as he looked at Stiles' work, though. He was learning _something_ , considering he only got a third of the page wrong. Searching around the room, his gaze landed on a discarded blanket, so he picked it up and laid it over Stiles' sleeping form. Stiles mumbled something about pizza and Derek snorted amusedly before going downstairs to pick up his stuff and leave. He was stopped by Stiles' father.

"So, you're a friend of his?" he asks, narrowing his eyes as he looks Derek up and down. "Uh, yeah." Derek answers with a simple nod of his head. "Do you know what happened the other day? With his bruises and such?" Derek froze for a moment. "It- It's not my place to say." he replies, hanging his head. The father nods and walks off. Derek slings his bag over his shoulder and leaves. He hopes this isn't the last he sees of the Stilinski house.

It's only 6, and school won't start until 8, so Derek has time to burn. He walks home with his hands in his pockets and sighs. The weather is freezing in February, so Derek's glad he brought his scarf with him. Thoughts of the fire start to invade and Derek grits his teeth, trying to will away the memories. He sees his mother, crying as she tries to run Cora and Laura out of the burning house. His dad had already burnt to a crisp, screaming agonizingly as his life was sucked away. Derek didn't really understand at the time, - he was, after all, only ten - all he knew was that his tears just kept coming.

Uncle Peter had held him back when he tried to rush inside to help his family. A large piece of wood fell on her, constricting her movements as Cora and Laura started to wail, begging for Derek's help. He regrets not risking his life to save them. It's all over with now, so there's no need to beat himself up about it, right? Right.

He arrived at the very small apartment he and his uncle had been able to afford. Life was tough, even with Peter working every chance he got and Derek spending most of his free time working part-time at the mechanic's. Because of that fact, Derek wasn't really sure he'd be able to hang out with Stiles much, even if he wanted to. He took on three of four shifts this week already, and they were mostly on the weekend. As soon as he put his bag down on the counter, he yelled, "I'm home!" There was no answer. Not that he expected one.

He changed his clothes and did the homework he hadn't finished because of Stiles. Once he had finished, it was 7:40, so he figured he'd see if Stiles was up and ready. Derek got to the house just in time to see Stiles stumbling out with clothes that looked like they were thrown on quickly. He chuckled to himself. Just as he thought, Stiles overslept. Now that he thinks about it, he probably should have just woken him up. Stiles looks around blearily as he hears footsteps approaching and grins dumbly at Derek.

"Did you come to walk me?" Stiles asks. Derek knows what Stiles means, even though he doesn't make much sense when he's tired. "Yeah, I did. I still can't believe you fell asleep at your desk." Derek says in mock disbelief. Stiles' cheeks go red at that comment and he looks away. Derek's at his side within a few seconds. Stiles would probably say something about Derek being ninja-like, but he's probably noticed that even a snail could catch up quickly enough.

Soon enough, they're at school, and Stiles feels the fan club glaring at him again, with Jackson and his gang laughing at him being the icing on the cake. Derek looks at them all with a threatening stare, and the fan club seems to back off a little. He didn't understand how his fan club thought they could control who he hangs with. "Off to English we go..." Stiles announces with little enthusiasm, snapping Derek out of his thoughts.

Of course she's there again. Derek's not really sure if he likes her or how she's flirting with Stiles. Especially the blatant flirting thing. He supposes she can't be that bad if she hasn't done anything to Stiles but flirt. It's not like it's a crime or anything. He's paired up with a guy called Scott McCall, who he vaguely remembers Stiles talking about. Their essay was going to be about lacrosse, which they have an advantage on, seeing as they both play it at school.

She leans over and whispers something in his ear that he smiles and nods to. What is it? What are they talking about? "Derek?" he hears Scott say. He twists his neck to look at Scott. "What?" he asks nonchalantly. "You weren't listening. Who were you looking at?" Derek frowned. "Was it Lily? I mean, she's kind of hot." Scott says with shrug. Derek shifts uncomfortably. "Uh, no. I wasn't looking at anyone." he lies. "Reeeally?" Scott asks, smirking as if he's caught on to something. "Really."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much to anyone who has commented or left kudos. It really means a lot <3  
> I hope for your continued support!


	7. Schedule Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm, I meant to update it earlier, I swear //bricked  
> All joking aside, I'm working on a lot of stuff right now, so I actually have an excuse for the absence of chapters.

It's already Friday, and Stiles finds himself sulking after Derek shows him his schedule. It's the same as it was before, meaning he'll only be in History with Derek. Though Derek had tried to reassure him it would be fine, Stiles isn't so sure. They can't hang out so much anymore because Derek has a lot of part-time work, and their different classes are tearing them apart. He's munching on some curly fries when Isaac takes a seat beside him and asks, "What's up? You look kind of down." 

Stiles stares at him for a long moment before shaking his head and looking down at the table. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," he replies flatly. Isaac changes the topic. "Are you okay?" he asks. "Hm?" Stiles replies dumbly. "Your injuries. Are they healing?" Stiles nods, swallowing his food before continuing. "Yeah, my rib still hurts when I laugh too much or breathe too deeply, and the bruises are kind of painful when I knock into anything. Besides from that, I'm good." Isaac nods with a faint smile and Allison sits down on the end seat next to Isaac, but not before giving him a peck on the lips.

Stiles wants to puke because of the touchy-feely couple business going on next to him. Scott sits on the other side of Stiles and rolls his eyes at the pair who are now making out with each other. In public. In the cafeteria. Ugh. How were they not embarrassed? "So, this is the end of Derek Week, eh?" Scott questioned with a smirk. He liked to call it 'Derek Week' because Stiles had had to spend a week glued to him. Not that he had minded. "He's not that bad. In fact, he even tutored me for Math." Stiles counters.

There's a grin on Stiles' face and then Derek enters the room. He nods at Stiles in greeting and sits opposite of him. "Hey Derek, what's up?" Derek grumbles. "I have one thing to say. I hate Art." Stiles is confused. "Why?" Derek sighs through his nose. "He told me that I can't draw only trees." Stiles bursts out laughing, but eventually stops because Derek's glaring at him. "He's got a point, y'know." Stiles states. Derek's glaring continues. 

"Says the guy who draws nothing but werewolves and 'lizard men.'" Stiles scoffs at that. " _Excuse_ you, but I draw other stuff too." Derek quirks an eyebrow. "Like?" Stiles scrambles for words to say until a voice interrupts him. "You two bicker like an old married couple." Lydia rolls her eyes, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she sinks into the chair next to Allison. Stiles fidgets in his seat nervously as Derek turns away and looks around the room aimlessly. All Lydia says is, "Hmph," before she starts eating.

The day flashes by and soon enough, it's the weekend. Derek informs Stiles that he can't come over during the weekend, because he has too much work on those days. Stiles understands, but he can't help feeling a little lonely. He sighs and spends the weekend like he would otherwise, playing video games with Isaac and Scott. Those two are true bros. After a couple of hours of kicking zombie butt, Stiles yawns and blinks a few times. Isaac seems to notice, so he nudges him awake. 

"Oh. It is kind of late, huh?" They all exchange tired chuckles. "See you at school, then. Bye Isaac, bye Scotty." Isaac snorts. "No annoying nickname for me?" he gasps in mock-hurt. "You should feel loved, I only call him Scotty to piss him off." They hear Scott exclaim a "hey!", and so Isaac trails after Scott as Stiles closes the door behind them. His friends are awesome. The teen heads to bed soon after, getting a good night's sleep for once.

\- - - - -

Stiles hates Mondays. He especially hates the Mondays where he has no excuse for dragging Derek around. Thankfully, the day passes uneventfully and he heads to his locker to get his things. Jackson gives him a grin that suggests bad things that Stiles doesn't even want to think about. He panics and wonders where Derek is, wonders how long it would take for him to get here. There isn't much time to wonder before he's thinking, "Oh, hi there, wall, haven't seen you in a while." Ow. He believes that was the sound of his shoulder dislocating.

The pain begins again. It sears up his legs as Jackson kicks the back of them and twists his ankle. Suddenly, he's being flipped over - and shit, his lungs are burning for air. A foot grounds down onto his back, probably permanently misaligning the spine in some way. There's another dislocated shoulder. He feels blood seeping from his top lip, pain when he opens and closes his left eye, as if it's bruised. Stiles isn't sure how long their tormenting continues, but his vision is swimming.

He wakes up and notices the sun is starting to set. How long has he been lying here? Stiles attempts to move, but cries out in agony when he feels the full extent of his injuries. His face feels numb and his body dangerously cold. Stiles can hardly blink, let alone anything else. Resigned, he hangs his head and feels hot tears streaming down his face. When he wakes up again, he's being put in an ambulance. Too weak and tired to care, Stiles blinks his heavy lids and hears the beeping of a machine. Well, several machines.

Stiles is at the hospital, forcing his eyes open as he looks and sees the many machines he's hooked up to. His best guess is that his dad got worried, found him lying unconscious, and brought him here. If that's the case, Stiles is screwed. "Hey kiddo, you okay?" Yeah, he was screwed. Stiles tries to nod, but finds himself held in place by an invisible weight. When the sheriff notices, he sighs before adding, "Blink twice for yes, three for no." Stiles blinks three times. His father's soft smile turns to a scowl. "When you can speak, we're going to have a talk." his father declares, shaking his head as he leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who left kudos! Without them, I think I probably wouldn't have updated.  
> Comments are highly appreciated, though, and I'd love to get one once in a while.


	8. Healing Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, an early updaaate!  
> Okay, so not that early, but still, I posted the thing. I'm at a standstill regarding chapter 12, which is frustrating.  
> Though, talking to fellow Sterek writers has helped me more than you would believe.   
> Also, oneshots. Need to write more of those, they're a great weapon for fighting writer's block.

Stiles doesn't know how long he's been looking at the ceiling when Lydia comes in, looking worried. Scott, Isaac and Allison soon follow. Stiles gives them a weak smile, as if to say, "Thanks for visiting." Lydia sits beside him as the rest gather around. 

"Dude, oh my god, what happened?" Scott is the first to speak up. 

"..." Stiles stares at him in silence, unable to speak. Scott takes a step back in understanding. 

Isaac observes him before commenting," You look horrible," Allison glares at him and he shifts uncomfortably. 

Lydia fusses over him, brushing his hair back and delicately touching the bruised skin. It makes Stiles feel better, knowing they're all concerned about his well-being. After having a one-sided conversation with him for about an hour, they leave with withered spirits. Stiles is thinking about what happened - what he can remember, anyway - when Derek appears. Derek looks at him like _he_ was the one that got bruised. Stiles stares at him, seeing as it's all he can do, really. Derek stares back. Their staring contest is broken when Derek clears his throat.

"Hey. Just came to see if you were okay," says Derek, and are those _tears_ he's blinking back? Then again, it would probably be a rare thing to see Derek Hale cry. He sits down by his bedside. "I'm sorry this happened," Derek apologizes guiltily. 

Stiles wants to say, "It's not your fault," but his voice is still recovering. The sulking teen glances at Stiles before continuing. 

"I feel like it's my fault. That stupid fan club of mine keeps glaring at you. You should probably stay away from me, actually. What if the fan club had something to do with this? God, I feel awful." he pauses his ramble to run a hand through his hair.

Stiles frowns, not wanting Derek to think it was his fault. The way Derek is looking down at his feet and slumping his shoulders tells Stiles that he's doing the exact opposite. Stiles breathes out through his nose, frustrated that he can't communicate with him. Suddenly, he's squeezing his eyes shut in pain. Breathing out that much was probably not one of his best ideas. Opening them, he notices that Derek had jumped up from his seat, a hand warm on his back. Stiles smiles as much as he can, to reassure Derek that he's okay.

\- - - - -

Derek comes back into the room after a fight with the hospital staff, insisting that he stay overnight. He sleeps on the chair next to Stiles. With a soft smile, Stiles closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep. The song of birds is heard and Stiles checks the clock on the wall beside him. It's 6 AM, so the teen checks for Derek, finding him sleeping peacefully. He looks at him for a moment, observing how nice he looks when he's not scowling. Stiles swallows and tries to speak. "Der..ek...?" he croaks out. Derek's eyes flutter open, and he looks up at Stiles drowsily.

"You can speak?" he asks. Stiles tries again, but goes into a coughing fit. "Whoa, Stiles, you okay? What do you need?" he asks in a calming tone, though his expression is panicked. 

Stiles briefly cuts off his coughing fit as he pleads, "Water." Derek rushes out of the room at the mention of the word and returns seconds later with a cup of water. Bringing it over to Stiles, he motions for him to open his mouth. Stiles complies and Derek pours the liquid down his throat slowly. Once it's finished, Derek sets it down on a table in the corner of the room. 

"You okay now?" Stiles simply nods and Derek sits back down.

"Don't..tell my dad." Stiles requests, looking miserable. 

"Don't tell him what?" Derek asks, puzzled. 

Stiles replies, "That I can speak." He can see that Derek has a million other questions to ask, but he doesn't. Good. "Thanks for..visiting and sta..staying." he says, almost whispering. Derek nods and gives him one of his rare smiles. 

After a while of them speaking about everything and nothing - trying to get Stiles distracted from the fact that he is in _serious pain_ \- Derek announces sadly, "I have to go at 7, so I can get to school on time, but I'll be back after school. I'm sure your friends will visit, too." Stiles glances at the clock and notices it's 6:54. 

"Okay. I want you to know something before you go." Derek nods. "It's not your fault." he says, and Derek's lips twitch upwards before he assists Stiles with drinking another cup of water. Derek leaves at 7, even though he doesn't want to.

\- - - - -

"Kiddo. Feeling better?" Stiles just stares. "Twice for yes, three for no," Stiles blinks twice. "We're going to need to talk about this, son. Can you speak?" Stiles blinks three times. The sheriff sighs and walks out again. This pattern continues for several days. To add to that pattern is daily visits from Derek, and visits from his friends every second day. Lydia keeps replacing the flowers on the bedside table, which is a gesture he appreciates. Well, you know, until she starts fussing over their 'matching colours' and 'artistic arrangement.' Derek seems to open up to him a little, explaining how it's hard to keep up with the bills. Stiles eagerly gulps down each piece of information he's fed, because it makes him feel trusted. He doesn't feel like that very often.

Soon enough, Stiles is back on his feet, even though everyone thinks he's 'not ready yet.' Which is kind of true, considering he's fallen over nearly 6 times now. Still, Stiles likes to think he'll do okay next Wednesday. Derek already made some poetic vow to stay near him as much as possible, which made him feel equally safe and creeped out. Lydia had stopped fussing over him the second he was okay. Typical Lydia. Allison and Isaac helped him catch up with his schoolwork which he missed. Scott left him yesterday just to flirt with some girl called Kira. It's like watching a poorly-made rom-com. Not that Stiles would know the difference between the crappy and good rom-coms. _Eugh._ Sure, Isaac and Allison are flirting - as usual - but dear God, at least it's not such cliche bullshit.

"What the hell do you mean, "they only got suspended"?!" They did all that shit to him and they only get fucking _suspension?!_ This is bullshit!" A slam onto a desk resounds around the silent room. Stiles limps over to Derek who is storming out of the office and touches his shoulder. Derek spins around and looks ready to punch something - or more like, _someone._ He takes a step back in fear and Derek's expression saddens. "I'm sorry," he apologizes with a sigh. Stiles scans his face for a moment before giving him a clap on the shoulder.

"It's fine, dude. Why are you pissed, anyway?" Stiles questions. 

Derek flares up with anger before explaining, "Those assholes that hurt you only have suspension for a _week._ Not to mention, _only_ suspension. It's fucking bullshit," He breathes out a growl before tightening his jaw. 

"It's better than nothing," Stiles reasons with an easy shrug. Derek frowns for a while before his anger dissipates. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Stiles smiles victoriously. "Aren't I always?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who left kudos made me want to post another chapter, so thank you!  
> (Comments make me want to post even more than when you leave kudos though *hint hint*)  
> Special thanks to the two that commented on the last chapter, your words really helped my writing.


	9. Sourwolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically, I'll be (kind of regularly) updating this with chapters I've already prewritten (chapter 9-11). If, after that, I feel the urge to write more, then I will. It's just a matter of inspiration at this point.

"Stiles, are we going to have a talk?" His dad asks as they take their plates to the sink - they had just finished dinner. Stiles ignores him and goes up to his room. He hears his dad yelling his name, so he tunes it out. He just isn't mentally ready to talk yet. Deciding he needs something to pass the time, he opens up Facebook, logs in, and he's intrigued when he notices a friend request. Lydia, Allison, and Isaac had added him long ago, so who could it be? Wait a second... Seriously?

"Hey there, Sourwolf."  
"Really?"  
"As real as the curliness of Isaac's hair."  
"Sigh."  
"Well, anyway, what's with the random Facebook friend request?"  
"I don't know. I found you on Facebook, so I figured, why not?"  
"You're weird."  
"You call me Sourwolf. I'm not that weird.  
"Good point. So, what's up, Der?"  
"You're calling me Der, now?"  
"Answer the question, damn it."  
"Nothing? I don't know."  
"You don't know a lot of things, I'm starting to question your intelligence."  
"Rude."  
"Are you home alone?"  
"Until 2am, yeah. Why?"  
"Can I come chill?"  
"Why?"  
"Because I want to chill?"  
"What happened with your dad?"  
"Dude, what?"  
"I know that you don't want to talk about it, so you're going to lie to me by saying he allowed you to go, just because you want to get away for a few hours."  
"...Damn."  
"Just, you know, as a guess."  
"Asshole."  
"Asshole who has decided to let you pull yourself together at my house."  
"Never mind, you're not an asshole. I'm going to head there now, via the window."  
"Stiles, I don't think that's safe. I'll pick you up halfway."  
"Pssh. Fine."

Derek and Stiles walk to Derek's house, the trip eerily silent. Crickets keep chirping, as if trying to break the awkward silence. Stiles clears his throat loudly, only earning a side-glance from Derek. Great. Somehow they reverted back to Mr. Silent and Mr. Awkward. Here he thought they were starting to get along. Stiles stares at the ground, watching his feet move until he runs into something solid. Never mind, that's just Derek. "We're here," With a dumb look, Stiles looks in front of him to see a flight of stairs. "Top apartment," That's all the information Derek provides before stomping up the stairs - or is that just how Derek walks? Grabbing the key from a set of keys, Derek unlocks the door.

They walk inside, and Stiles isn't surprised that it's basically bare. Derek doesn't seem like a guy to keep personal things around, and he _did_ say they were having money troubles. "Done gawking?" Stiles grins, which is surprisingly kind-of-returned by Derek. "You are going to have to talk to your dad about it, y'know," reminds Derek. Stiles sighs and rolls his eyes at him. 

"But today is not that day!" Stiles says with a fist pumped into the air. Derek shakes his head and plops down onto his couch. Stiles soon joins, sitting too close for comfort, just to see how far he can push him. 

"Comfy there?" Derek asks with a raised eyebrow. 

"Absolutely."

They've been doing a marathon of 'Lord of the Rings' for the past few hours, which is mostly entertaining because of how much Derek likes it. Who would have known that the cool guy of the school was actually a huge nerd? 

"I love this scene. They've just directed it so well. Look at that camera angle! Holy shit," Derek rambles for a moment before he hears Stiles chuckling beside him. "What?" Derek asks with a hint of anger as he turns to Stiles. He's met with a smile. 

"Who would have thought _you_ would be a huge fan of 'Lord of the Rings'?" Stiles comments with a stifled laugh. 

"Trying to insult me?" Derek challenges playfully. 

"Maybe I am," Stiles counters, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Well, if you're going to be so rude, I'm going to have to use your greatest weakness against you," Derek replies, content as a wave of horror crosses the younger boy's face. 

"Anything but that," Stiles gasps. Derek smirks as he pins Stiles against the couch and starts tickling him. Instantly, Stiles is in fits of laughter, squirming to get away. 

"Say you're sorry and I'll stop," Derek teases, entertained by the conflict on Stiles' face. 

"N-Never!" Stiles exclaims, struggling to breathe. After a few seconds more, Stiles has stopped laughing and is currently coughing out his intestines. That's how intense it sounds, anyway.

"Oh, _shit_. I'm so sorry. Shit, shit, shit," Derek curses as he dashes to the kitchen to get to water. Getting back as fast as he can without spilling it, he hands it to Stiles, who takes it gratefully and swallows down a large sip. A few sips later, he puts the cup down on the coffee table and leans back against the couch. "Are you okay?" Derek asks worriedly, his eyebrows furrowed together. 

"Yeah, I'm good. Just got a bit too excited. Damn it, they told me to take it easy," Stiles reassures, smiling as Derek sits beside him again. 

"We should really call your dad," Derek suggests, a few minutes into the third movie. 

"What, why?" Stiles snaps his head around to look at Derek.

"It's too late for me to take you home now. He needs to at least know you're safe. He's probably tearing his hair out right about now," explains Derek. Stiles nods slowly. Derek rises from the couch and grabs the phone. "Stiles! What's the number?" Derek yells out. Stiles yells back the number, and Derek gets to work.

"Derek, one of Stiles' friends. Yes, he's safe. Do you mind if he stays the night? Don't worry, he'll be fine. Uh-huh. Yup. Of course. Thank you Mr. Stilinski. Goodnight to you too," Derek hangs up after a few moments and turns around to give Stiles a nod. Stiles breathes out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "You can stay the night, but you need to be home by 7 for dinner," Stiles grins. 

"That's fine."

Suddenly, the click of the door unlocking is heard. Stiles and Derek's eyes dart to the door for a second, but Derek's shoulders slump, so Stiles guesses they're safe. A man slightly shorter than Derek steps in, closing it behind him and walking into the kitchen. He walks past Stiles and stops a few steps after. 

"Who's this?" he asks, shooting a confused look in Derek's direction. The man grins. "Another fuck-buddy?" Stiles freezes up. It is easily heard throughout the small apartment as Derek growls, glaring daggers at him. 

"No. Just a friend. Seriously, it's been a _year_ , leave it be," Derek counters, clenching his jaw. 

The unnamed man chuckles and replies, "I thought that Kate chick was actually kind of hot." 

Derek frowns. "She was fucking insane," With a gulp, the doe-eyed teen glances between the two, feeling like he's been caught in their crossfire. 

"Uh, guys, still here," squeaks out Stiles. Their heads turn to look at him. The stranger eyes him carefully, looking him up and down. Derek gives a apologetic look. 

"Anyway, he's staying the night," Derek announces. The man shrugs and walks to what Stiles guesses is his bedroom. 

"Who was that?" Stiles asks as soon as his door shuts. 

"My uncle, Peter. Only living relative," Stiles winces. 

"That sucks, he seems like an asshole," Derek snorts. 

"He is."

"So, where am I sleeping?" Stiles asks curiously. Derek gestures for him to follow and opens the door to a second bedroom. 

"You can either sleep on the floor or with me," Derek says nonchalantly. His eyebrows raise. He didn't really want to sleep on the floor, but the idea of sleeping next to another guy seemed a little... _Off_. Then again, it was kind of cold tonight, and Derek _was_ just a friend. Also, he was pretty sure Derek was straight. Screw it, he'd sleep in the bed with him. He preferred comfort over the fear of embarrassment.

That's how Stiles ended up pressed up against Derek's back, the both of them finding it a little awkward to lay comfortably, even in a double bed. Stiles yawns quietly and blinks a few times before his eyes flutter shut. It was nice of Derek to let him stay the night. If he'd asked someone else, they'd probably just tell him to face his dad. Though Stiles was sure he wouldn't ever admit it, he felt lucky to have a friend like Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to [Fire_Pip](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Pip/) for encouraging me to upload this!


	10. Like a Kid in a Teenager's Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, so I'm attempting to upload one chapter every Saturday, but we'll see how that goes xD  
> But, if I do keep it up, I'll be taking an upload break from Christmas week to January. For chilling out purposes.

Stiles wakes up to fabric in his face. Or is that a shirt? Yeah, that's a shirt. That shirt belongs to a certain Mr. Hale. Is he being... cuddled? What the hell is going on? "Dureek?" he mutters, tiredness slurring his words. There is no response. "Dereeek?" he says louder. Still empty silence. "Derek!" he whisper-shouts. The taller male starts to stir. 

"Muhnm?" comes the reply. _beautiful_ English, Derek.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asks, though he's fully aware of what Derek is _doing_. He just isn't sure _why_. 

"Huhmm?" Derek attempts to ask. 

"That thing with your arms," Stiles explains. Derek looks at him with a confused, yet sleepy expression. Stiles tries not to laugh, because that face is _so_ not Derek at _all_. Derek looks at his arms and then at Stiles. 

_"Oh,_ " he starts, pausing for a moment. "Sohhry, baad habeet," he slurs. In a flash, he removes his hands and rolls over. Stiles stares at him for a moment before getting out of the bed. He glances at the clock - it reads 7:47AM. Oh, _shit_ , they're going to be late. The teen starts to nudge Derek roughly, panicking as he rushes to change into something reasonable - yes, he _may_ have climbed out the window, but he did actually bring an overnight bag. 

Derek sits up, still in a dazed state. "Why are you stripping?" he questions. Stiles freezes for a second and realizes how weird this must look. 

"Oh shush, we'll be late if you don't get your ass out of bed," Derek is puzzled and looks at the clock. You can almost pinpoint the moment when the terror washes over his face. 

" _Fuck,_ " he curses as he gets up and somehow trips over himself. 

"Whoa there Der, don't become the next Stiles," he jokes, grinning like an idiot while tugging a polo shirt on. Derek grabs something from his closet and starts shoving it on. Stiles catches a glimpse of Derek's well-loved leather jacket. God, he really wears that a lot. It makes him wonder if Derek ever goes a day without it. "Seriously, do you even wash that?" Stiles asks. 

Derek sighs and answers, "Stiles, I have more than one leather jacket," Stiles eyes him suspiciously. 

"Are you _sure?_ " he counters. Derek rolls his eyes and puts a pair of jeans on. 

"Shut up and get ready," Stiles scoffs at the grumpy teen and puts skinny jeans on. Well, at least that's something they have in common. "I was surprised," Derek says, breaking the awkward silence starting to form between them. 

"About?" Stiles questions. 

"You actually slept in the same bed as me,” Derek replies with a shrug. Stiles chuckles. 

"Why is that surprising? We're friends after all, right?" he says with a smile. Derek gives him a weird look, something Stiles can't put his finger on. He shrugs to himself and tugs on a pair of high-tops as Derek finishes buckling up his combat boots. 

"Let's get food and go,” Derek says, stomping out of the room - the combat boots make it more convincing, somehow. Stiles nods - even though Derek has his back turned to him - and follows after him. "Toast?" Stiles makes a noise of agreement and watches Derek put two slices of bread in the toaster. Derek looks at him and furrows his eyebrows. "Why are you staring at me?" 

Stiles smiles stupidly and replies, "Why are you such a sourwolf?" Derek rolls his eyes and gets the toast out of the toaster. 

"What do you want on it?" 

The shorter teen thinks a moment before exclaiming, "Peanut butter!" 

Derek shakes his head with a sigh as he spreads peanut butter on the toast. "Go get our bags and let's go,” Derek commands, putting the dirty knife in the sink. Stiles mumbles something about him being bossy, but complies anyway. He disappears inside Derek's room and reappears moments later, holding the two bags triumphantly. Derek gives a weak chuckle at his antics and hands Stiles a piece of toast while taking his bag. "Come on. We'll be late," Derek says, turning his back to Stiles and unlocking the door. Stiles follows after him, and soon they're off. 

\---x--- 

"Are you serious?" Stiles groans, frowning at the clock. 

"Peter..." Derek grits out. They'd gotten to school, supposedly just in time, but the school was empty. "Only _HE_ would play a prank like this. He's so immature," Stiles nods with a sigh as they lean against the lockers, sitting on the ground in silence. 

"We're an hour early,” Stiles states in a monotone, staring at the wall for a long moment before he bursts out laughing. Derek's gaze snaps toward him. 

"What?" Stiles continues to laugh, throwing his head back. Derek raises a brow at him like he's gone insane. 

"We're the biggest idiots, I swear," he says with a grin. Derek stares at Stiles for a second before he starts chuckling weakly. 

"No, I think that would have to be you," Derek adds, one side of his mouth slightly upturned in a smirk. 

"At least I don't wear the _same_ leather jacket everyday,” the freckled boy responds. 

"I keep telling you, I wash them!" Stiles makes a gasp of mock-horror. 

“You have more than _one?_ " Derek starts to glare. 

Stiles smiles and then asks, "So, what should we do for an hour?" Derek shrugs. 

"So full of ideas, Derek," Stiles scoffs. He stares up at the ceiling, thinking of an idea. "Hm. What about... Ooh! We could go to the park!" he suggests, throwing Derek a look of excitement. Derek raises an eyebrow at him. 

"What are we going to do at park? Play on the swings?" he mocks. 

The shorter male replies with a frown, "Well, _fine._ I'll go play on the swings by _myself,_ " he says sassily with a 'hmph'. 

Derek gives him a weird look and then follows after him as he heads to the park. They're there in a few minutes; Stiles rushes to the swings. "Are you serious right now?" Derek asks in disbelief, watching as Stiles swings back and forth like a pendulum. 

"Push me, push me!" Stiles demands, breaking into a huge smile. 

"I hang around with a six year old, I swear," He shakes his head and pushes Stiles weakly. 

"Hey, put some muscle into it!" he exclaims with a pout. 

Derek pushes him so hard that he nearly falls off the swing. For a second he's yelling in fear, and then he starts whooping loudly. The bushy-browed teen snorts in amusement. "This is awesome!" Stiles exclaims. "Wheeee- _Shit!_ " Stiles yells as he falls off the swing and into the bark chips. Derek can't help it. He throws back his head and laughs, louder than he has in years. Stiles stares intently until Derek stops. 

He looks at him with tears in his eyes and asks, "What?" 

Stiles looks him in the eye when answering, "I've never heard you _actually_ laugh before,” 

Derek swallows and replies, "Yeah, well, it doesn't happen much, so don't get used to it," 

"Whatever, _sourwolf,_ " Stiles replies with a grin. 

"Stop calling me that," Derek grumbles. 

"You can't stop me, sourwolf!" Stiles exclaims as he runs away laughing madly. Derek puts his hand on his face and sighs. 

"I worry for your mental health sometimes," Stiles stops and turns to Derek. "Only sometimes?" he asks with a puppy-dog face. "You're a case that can't be solved," Stiles raises a brow at his choice of words. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Derek smiles at him. 

"Nothing. Come on, let's go," 

Stiles pouts and whines, "Already? But we just got here!" Derek sighs at him and checks his phone. It's only 7:18, so they had to find something else to pass the time. 

"Now what?" Stiles asks, in front of Derek and looking up at him. 

"Well, actually, there's an abandoned amusement park nearby. It's getting torn down soon." Derek begins to seriously wonder about what Stiles' actual age is as his eyes light up like stars. 

"Can we go? Can we?" Stiles asks, almost bouncing up and down from excitement. 

"Why would I suggest it if we couldn't go?" Stiles puts a finger to his lips as if in deep thought. 

"Because you're a sourwolf?" Derek sighs and stalks off toward the abandoned amusement park, Stiles trailing closely behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to anyone who has left a kudos or a comment, I really appreciate it! <3


End file.
